The 49ers were panning for gold when they traded up to acquire the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They had Jimmy Garoppolo entrenched as a solid starting quarterback, but the team was looking for a higher-upside candidate to start at the position.
San Francisco bet that the raw, but talented Trey Lance would end up being a potential franchise quarterback for the team.
Instead, it appears that he was fool’s gold for the franchise.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the 49ers had named Sam Darnold their backup quarterback behind Brock Purdy. Lance had been battling for that job, but lost it to Darnold, who has found little success since being the No. 3 overall pick by the Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft. Lance would go on to be absent from 49ers practice on Wednesday, and that led to rumors that he could be traded.
If the 49ers do trade Lance, it would represent a massive missed opportunity in terms of adding talent to their team. San Francisco gave up a lot of resources to acquire the No. 3 pick that was used to select Lance, and at least one of the selections they surrendered was used on an All-Pro talent.
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Here’s what to know about the Trey Lance draft trade as his time in San Francisco seemingly comes to a close.
What did the 49ers trade for Trey Lance?
49ers get:
- 2021 first-round pick (No. 3 overall)
Dolphins get:
- 2021 first-round pick (No. 12 overall)
- 2022 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)
- 2022 third-round pick (No. 101 overall)
- 2023 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)
The 49ers gave up a king’s ransom to move up from the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Trey Lance.
At the time that they traded up, it was presumed by many that the team would target Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the selection, though speculation later shifted to Lance and Alabama’s Mac Jones.
Ultimately, Lance was the selection, but he didn’t pan out for the 49ers. He made just four starts in his first two seasons and missed most of his second campaign with an ankle injury. He has posted a record of 2-2 while completing 54.9 percent of his passes for 797 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also run for 54 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
While Lance is still just 23 and has potential, he lost the starting job to Brock Purdy and backup role to Sam Darnold during the 2023 NFL offseason. As such, he is looking like a sunk cost for the 49ers; that will sting considering that they may have missed out on at least three potential starters with the draft capital they surrendered to get him.
IYER: The case for and against the 49ers trading Trey Lance
What the Trey Lance trade draft picks became
As mentioned, the 49ers gave the Dolphins four picks as a part of the Trey Lance trade. Miami didn’t keep all of them, but at least a couple of the players selected with each of the 49ers’ original picks look like starters.
Below is a run-down of the players selected with the picks the 49ers traded to land Lance:
Micah Parsons, edge rusher
- Pick: 2021 first-round pick (No. 12 overall)
- Team: Cowboys
The 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was traded three times. It started with the 49ers before going to the Dolphins. Then, it went to the Eagles before finally being sent to the Cowboys.
Dallas ended up selecting Parsons with the 12th pick, and that pick has been a home run. Parsons has quickly blossomed into one of the NFL’s best defensive players, showing the ability to play at both linebacker and on the edge. The Cowboys originally used him at the former position before moving him to the edge full-time.
In 33 career games, Parsons has logged a whopping 26.5 sacks — 13 in 2021 and 13.5 in 2022. He was an All-Pro each season and was the runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting each year as well.
Having Parsons and Nick Bosa together would have given the 49ers arguably the best pass-rushing tandem in the NFL. So, giving up the pick that became Parsons seems like a massive missed opportunity in retrospect.
Cole Strange, guard
- Pick: 2022 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)
- Team: Patriots
Many thought the Patriots reached when they selected Strange in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, as he had been viewed as a mid-Day 2 pick. Even so, Strange emerged as a starter right away in New England and started all 17 of the team’s games as a rookie.
The results? Strange committed six penalties — tied for the ninth-most among guards — and five sacks, tied for fifth-most at the position. He was graded 61st overall among 77 qualified guards for the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus, so certainly, his first season left a bit to be desired.
Still, Strange has potential at 6-6, 301 pounds, and he would certainly be in the mix to start for the 49ers, be it over Aaron Banks at left guard or Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano at right guard.
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Channing Tindall, linebacker
- Pick: 2022 third-round pick (No. 101 overall)
- Team: Dolphins
Tindall didn’t play much for the Dolphins during his rookie season despite being selected just outside of the top 100 picks. He logged just nine defensive snaps and will hope to make a larger impact on that side of the ball in 2023.
That said, Tindall was a special teams ace for the squad, logging three tackles while playing 40 percent of the team’s special teams snaps. So, he did provide the Dolphins with some value; and were he with the 49ers, he would be a key depth piece on the 2023 squad after the departure of Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency.
Bryan Bresee, defensive tackle
- Pick: 2023 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)
- Team: Saints
The Saints ended up with the 29th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and they spent it on Clemson’s Bryan Bresee. He was added to the team to help offset some of New Orleans’ free-agent losses at defensive tackle, which were highlighted by the departures of David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle.
Bresee didn’t quite live up to the hype he had after a strong freshman season during which he recorded 23 tackles and four sacks. Still, he is a big-bodied run stopper at 6-5, 305 pounds and has the skill set needed to be a top-tier pass rusher. He just needs to stay healthy, something that he couldn’t always do in college.
The 49ers have good depth at defensive tackle after signing Javon Hargrave during the 2023 offseason. Still, you can never have too much defensive line talent, and having Bresee would also potentially allow them to move on from Javon Kinlaw, who has disappointed to date, if he continues to struggle in 2023.